A DAY IN TOKYO - PART 4 - LUCKY STAR

Wow, reaching the end of this mini series already? My original plan is to do 5 articles of A Day in Tokyo, and this is the fourth one, meaning there's only one left after this one. Let's see: I've done a Drama/Lifestyle Anime, a Parody of an Action Anime, and a Horror/Suspense Anime. Sounds like I should do either a Comedy, a REAL Action Anime, or a "Girl's" Anime. Well, let's kill two of those bird with one stone and review Lucky Star, a quirky Anime series with an obvious female demographic. Still, it's a funny show, and I have to admit that even I found it tolerable!



Now, the series itself wasn't on Netflix, and I only watched the fully English dubs of the first season; I should it now, that Anime is not that easy to find here in Canada. I have no idea why, but it just is. I think I watched the first...12 episodes, maybe? Possibly 13. From here, I have to provide a review of ONLY what I watched. Think of it like this: It only means chance of me revealing any spoilers. =P

OKAY, ONTO THE REVIEW.

...Is she getting hot while looking at Gay Porn?

Lucky Star follows the day-to-day of four high school girls: Kagome, Tsukasa, Konata, and Miyuki. These girls all have their own little quirks and distinctions in their personalities; Konata is obsessed with video games, Manga, and slacking off. Tsakasa seems to be as lazy as Konata, but hates having it be obvious to her sister, whereas her sister Kagome is obsessed with studies and is the one with the stick up her ass. Miyuki is apparently the girl in the school that gives all the guys hard-ons, but she's so modest and air-headed that it basically makes no difference. These unlikely personalities somehow seem to come together, and they're all the best of friends!

Life couldn't be sweeter for these young girls. Everywhere they go, they always seem to have something to talk about, or they all just end up laughing. Even the most seemingly horrible parts of the Anime are just uplifted by generic Anime reactions or facial expressions. For some, this will just be plain annoying, and for others, it'll likely be the flawless Wapanese life they long for. Still, the upbeat nature of the show makes you seem like a jerk for hating on it; it's hard to completely hate these "happy" shows.

So, what did I like about this Anime? First of all, I have to admit that Konata is pretty hilarious. She's a lazy, Anime-obsessed basement dweller who just loves doing things that are unproductive. Everything that comes out of her mouth is either a smartass comment or just an epic hipster statement. I fondly remember a particular episode where the gang talks about how girls with flat chests don't ever get boyfriends (much to their dismay, hahaha...), but of course, Konata reassures them that a flat chest is a symbol of pride and superiority, possibly presented in the most over-the-top fashion one could muster. By this point, I was falling off my bed from laughing.

...Whoever animated this scene is a sick fuck.

The show itself is just a Comedy, which is quite simply what I like about the series. It's a series that portrays life as a good thing, whereas every other Anime either has gritty storylines or dead parents of some sort. I don't get why Japanese Animators hate their lives so much, but this team is way different, I guess. Again, to some, this Anime will just annoy, but to others, it'll be a nice experience. It's basically the Seinfeld of Anime; a sitcom-style cartoon that has next-to-no story or direction, where the entertainment comes from sheer hilarity.

Which leads me into what I didn't like about this Anime, and the complaints start with the structure of the Anime, as a whole. Although it has a very Seinfeld-like foundation, the Anime is of the "Girly" genre, and when it's portrayed as a sitcom, you know what that means? Basically, Disney in Japan. Some of the parts of the series reminded me of shit from Hannah Montana and Sonny with a Chance, two shows that have no relation to a show that would be considered "good".

This cartoon shoves Anime generics down your THROAT.

I tried my best to ignore the true nature of this Anime: A Japanese Disney show for girls, but even when your wrap shit in gold, it's still shit. It was an idea that entered my head as soon as I saw these relevant scenes, and it ruined the experience for me, in a way. I don't care about these girls' teenage problems or if they're ever gonna have that special High School boy ask them out. I want to see them just have fun as friends and goof around. I'm sure I'd have to be a girl to understand, but as a guy, it outright pissed me off.

Next, I have to question the voice acting at times. A few of the actresses just ticked me off when thy spoke. Again, it's purely a perssonal gripe, because I can't say that the acting is untalented, but the voice for that pink-haired bitch at the end made me want to punch her in the face. Her assistant has just as annoying voice, and Konata's cousin's voice is also pretty annoying; it sounds like she's talking to everyone like they don't understand her, which is an open intonation problem with the actual actress' skill. Not acceptable.

Finally, I have to say that a lot of the animation is pretty bad. Outlines are usually too thick, and way too many distant shots of walking, ass opposed to shots u close of them walking; it's a matter of the animators not wanting to waste budget money on making full-scale walking sequences, which is pretty pitiful. I remember watching the second or third episode with Konata and the gang running in Track & Field. The animation was choppy and strange to watch; it just doesn't look like walking.

The opening of this show makes me want to pound nails into my eyes. YAN!

So, would I recommend this Anime? I'm iffy about it. For the average Anime-watching person they've likely seen it already and decided if they loved it or hated it, but to a regular person? Probably not. Even a girl wouldn't get most of the jokes, cultural references, or cameos, and the ones they WOULD get would just be unfunny to them. This is possibly one of the most Japanese shows you can watch; it's as dramatic as they come, has as many Japanese references as hairs on my head, and is just a mediocre Anime in presentation.

I could see a fair share of people enjoying most parts, but in the end, you'll realize that you just wasted your time. The only people I could see SORTA liking this series are people who like Anime, bubbly 10-year old girls, and retarded 15-year old boys. If you're outside this demographic, it's nothing more than an annoying, shallow puddle of Weeaboo fanservice, and for the sick people, maybe something to add to your library of "Embarrassing things to Get off to". I didn't MIND Lucky Star, but I didn't find it memorable, and I'll likely never watch it again.


~WILL